Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-03-31
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. MENTION.
CIRCULAR TO FRUIT-GRowERs.

To Ascertain Their Preference as to
Method for Marketing Fruit.
R. D. Stephens, President of the Califor-
mia Fruit-growers' Association, has sent
the following circular to members of the
Association and the California Fruit Union i:
DEAR SIR: The question of what is best to be
done in order to dispose of the fruit products OF
California in Eastern markets to the best a6yan-
tage TO the growers is ofthe utmost Importance ;
and at the present time two methods are being
discussed, which are Numerically opposed to
each other.
one of these propositions is to have all the
growers combine for the purpose of concentrate
ing their products and ship them East to be sold
on commission 1t is claimed by the advocates
of this plan that by placing all the fruit in the
hands OF the few they viii then have the power
to control il as they please, and that guts in the
Eastern markets can be prevented, and conse-
quently better prices realized by the growers.
The other plan is to combine the growers for
the purpose of making common effort to in
duce the railroad companies to give better facil-
tiles for shipping East by reducing the cost and
time consumed in transportation. The adyo-
Gates of this plan claim it would be successful if
the growers would combine for the purpose of
properly presenting to the transportation COM
panies the necessities of and the great advan-
tages to be gained by all parties interested in
growing and marketing fruit the buyers for
Eastern markets would be multiplied thereby
placing competition where il would do the pro-
ducers the most good, and that, too, without in
juring any proper or equitable interest of Others
also, that when the growers under this plan
parted with the products they would know eX-
aetly what they were to receive for them and
what their profits would be over the cost ofpro-
duction; and In no event would they be called
upon TO give in addition to their fruit their
property, as pledge that they will make good
any and all deficiencies that might occur
through any eause-because of the failure Of
the fruit selling for enough to pay the commits
slons, expenses of handling and costs OF trans
portation.
1t is of the utmost importance that every
grower should have an opportunity to express
himself as to which of these plans he favors;
and fer this reason the accompanying blank has
been sent you. which you will be so kind as to
fill out by writing your name in the blank i'm
mediately following the plan you believe to best
represent your interests as grower, and return
the same by mail Immediately
The object of this is to ascertain what the real
wishes Of the growers are regarding the two
plans proposed.
Accompanying the above circular letter
is the following alternative blank, for re-
ply;
To r. d. Stephens, Sacramento CAL: In answer
to your communication of March D. 1887, will
state;
am in favor of selling at home, which pro-
tects me against loss. -
I am in favor of concentrating our fruit and
shipping it East TO be sold on commission.
Over two hundred responses have already
been received, and more are coming at the
rate of from forty to fifty each day, indicat-
ing that the growers are taking lively in
Il. L.